


Such a Bourgeois and Unnecessary Form of Sustenance

by emmaliza



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Accidental First Date, Fluff, M/M, So much fluff you may die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-12
Updated: 2013-03-12
Packaged: 2017-12-05 02:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/717678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmaliza/pseuds/emmaliza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enjolras is caught in a moment of deep moral hypocrisy by Marius. And by that I mean he's eating dessert.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Such a Bourgeois and Unnecessary Form of Sustenance

**Author's Note:**

> Again, kink meme prompt: "Enjolras/Marius, and ornate french desserts. Because there are some qualities of aristocratic life that they just can't give up. Can be as smutty as you like, or completely clean. I just want to see some love over french chocolate!" Was originally meant to be vaguely smutty, but that didn't happen; instead wound up as Accidental-Awkward-First-Date fluff. Eh, I tried.

Cake and fudge rest on his fork. Cream still colours his lips. He is caught.

"Marius," he says, frozen like an animal before a carriage. "I thought you left with Courfeyrac."

"I left some of the articles I have to translate here. Silly, really." His casual tone makes Enjolras cringe. He would rather be screamed at for his hypocrisy and get it over with.

"Look, Marius - you have to understand--"

"Oh look, there they are!" Marius grabs two scrolls of paper and clutches them to his chest. "Right, well I'll be on my way. It was nice to see you!"

"I am sorry!"

Marius looks confused at that. "Uh... sorry for what?"

Enjolras gawps disbelievingly, and indicates the horrific indulgence in front of him. Marius does not seem much more clear on the matter.

"Cake? You're sorry for cake?" Ashamed, Enjolras nods. "Um... I think the cake will forgive you. Being eaten is it's job after all."

Enjolras glares, and looks away. "There is no need to mock me," he says.

"Hey, I wasn't trying to - I just don't understand, that's all. Why are you acting like this?" Marius takes the seat opposite from him, and Enjolras decides he must face the matter bravely.

"Don't you think me a hypocrite - I speak about the needs of the poor, and yet here I am, consuming such a bourgeois and unnecessary form of sustenance?"

"...Not really?" Enjolras is surprised by this. "I mean, if you spoke about the needs of the poor and then spent all your money on such things it would strike me as wrong, but from what I've gathered and from what Courfeyrac's told me, you spend a lot of your money helping those less fortunate than yourself, not to mention your time and energy, so even with a slice of cake you're probably still on the 'good' side of things."

_Oh._ He feels a little deflated. "...Such logic. I usually here that from Combeferre."

Marius smiles. "That's actually quite a compliment. I've never exactly been celebrated for my thinking skills."

Courfeyrac has said as much. Enjolras realises Marius's attention is drifting, away from him and toward that cake. "Is there something wrong?" he asks.

"It's just..." Marius looks uncomfortable, biting his lip. "I don't exactly have much money. It's been awhile since I've been able to afford anything like... May I...?"

Ah. Well, if Enjolras is going to indulge such pleasures he may as well share them. "Oh, certainly. One moment," he breaks off a piece of the cake with his fork, and extents it toward Marius. "There you go."

Marius seems puzzled for a moment and Enjolras soon realises he is holding the fork quite close to Marius's mouth, so Marius probably thinks he is expected to eat it like that from Enjolras's grasp, which might be making him uncomfortable. Enjolras is about to pull the cake from the fork and pass it to Marius with his fingers, or otherwise just hand Marius the fork (which may be neater), but then Marius does 'what is expected of him'. Enjolras watches his lips close around the silver handle, and Marius gives a small, startled moan at the taste. He realises this after the fact, and blushes as he pulls back. "Sorry," he says, not having fully chewed and swallowed, "it's just... it's been awhile, and it's really good."

"It is fine, friend," Enjolras says. He watches as Marius swallows down the rest. "You may have some more if you like."

Conflict spreads across Marius's face. "Oh, I... thank you." He gives into his desires and takes Enjolras's fork; Enjolras can't help but be a little amused by the eagerness with which he digs in. Halfway through his third bite, Marius looks ashamed. "Sorry. It's just what happens when you love chocolate and can't afford any chocolate."

"Like I said, it's fine. Table manners are a tool of bourgeois oppression." Marius looks like he's not quite sure whether or not Enjolras is joking - for the record, he is - but continues to eat happily anyway. A thought occurs to Enjolras.

"You know, I'm quite curious as to your family background. I mean if you don't mind me prying - the way you speak and hold yourself would suggest you come from some wealth, but your clothes are threadbare and you talk of struggling to make ends meet. I'm not sure I understand."

"Ah." Marius purses my lips togther. "Well put simply: yes, my family is very wealthy, but I am estranged from them now and hence must make my own way in the world."

"Is that so?"

Something crosses Marius's mind. "...Well actually, my grandfather does send me an allowance every month. But I reject it. He expelled me, and that is not a decision that can be made half-way."

Enjolras nods. "A proud and admirable choice."

"I thought you would consider me a stubborn fool for it."

"Well that too, but you are a proud and admirable stubborn fool." Marius chuckles. "Would it be terrible of me to ask why you were expelled?"

"...Not terrible, but I wouldn't answer." Enjolras nods, and Marius looks embarrassed. "I'm sorry, it's just - it's something of a painful story you see, and I'm certain you don't want to listen to me wailing."

"Oh no no it's fine; I'm sorry for overstepping my bounds," Enjolras says. Then their conversation falls away, as Marius takes another bite of the dessert.

"Oh god, I've eaten half your cake!" Marius cries suddenly. "I beg your forgiveness, here - I could not possibly take any more."

Marius tries to push the bowl toward him, and Enjolras pushes it back. "Oh no, no; take the rest, I've had my fill."

"Don't be ridiculous; you paid for it, so should at least get to eat most of it."

"But you may not have the opportunity again; I can always buy another."

Marius abandons this argument by tearing off a piece of the cake with his fingers, and pressing it to Enjolras's mouth. Enjolras opens his mouth to protest this gesture, but winds up accepting the cake between his lips. As someone who protests so often, you'd think he could have come up with something more effective than that.

He chews and swallows. "Was that really necessary?" he asks. Marius looks away bashfully, blushing again.

"It was the first thing that came to mind." Enjolras's not entirely certain what is going on here. They seem to come to an unspoken agreement to share the rest of the cake, tearing off pieces and licking clean the cream and fudge that drips onto their hands. Yes, they really are destroying that bourgeois establishment known as table manners. At one point curiosity overwhelms Enjolras and he holds one of his piece's to Marius's lips; the other boy seems quite confused, but eats it anyway, tongue tickling Enjolras's index finger as he goes after a drop of cream. He has extremely prominent lips, Enjolras notices. It is an interesting feature.

They've barely finished the dessert when they hear the Musain door open and shut. Enjolras's eyes go wide - his paranoia about being revealed as hypocrite returns - and he and Marius reach for the bowl to hide it at the same time. It ends up in Enjolras's hands, but Marius grips it under the table with him also. Huh.

"Honestly, if he's forgotten the directions to this place when I spent so long making sure he understood it..." It's Courfeyrac who enters the room, giving an odd look when he sees Marius and Enjolras sitting together. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"Oh no, I just... went here to get the articles and got distracted?" Marius says. Courfeyrac snorts.

"As you eternally are. Confused and distracted." Marius frowns at this. When Courfeyrac turns to Enjolras, a smirk is playing on his lips, and Enjolras frowns at that. He probably doesn't want to know what Courfeyrac is thinking. "And what about you? Filling his head with revolutionary rhetoric?"

"Something lke that." He tries not to tap against the side of the bowl nervously. That would rather give the game away.

"Right, well. Should I leave you two to your 'discussions', or...?"

Marius winces. "Actually, I really do need to have those articles translated by tonight; I'm sorry, but it's important, otherwise I might..."

"It's fine, I understand," Enjolras assures him. "It was nice to have the chance to speak with you."

"You too." Marius grins. Courfeyrac raises an eyebrow.

"By no means feel like you have to contain yourselves because of me."

Enjolras glares at him for whatever he may be implying, whereas Marius simply looks confused (perhaps Courfeyrac had a point there). Marius hands withdraw from the silver bowl, and Enjolras watches he and Courfeyrac leave. He licks some chocolate from the corner of his mouth.

For whatever reason, he smiles.


End file.
